Michael B Jordan's production company backs diversity clause

The star is one of the first to publicly show his support for the principle

Written by Alannah Francis
08/03/2018 01:23 PM

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DIVERSITY: Michael B Jordan

BLACK PANTHER star Michael B Jordan has again demonstrated his commitment to diversity within the entertainment industry by announcing that his production company will back the inclusion rider.

The Fruitvale Station actor’s production company, Outlier Society, is set to apply the principle to all future projects.

The inclusion rider is a contractual clause that requires studios to employ diverse crews and/or casts on all productions.

Sharing the news on Instagram, Jordan posted a picture of himself, his agent Phil Sun and Outlier Society’s head of production, Alana Mayo, along with the caption: “In support of the women & men who are leading this fight, I will be adopting the Inclusion Rider for all projects produced by my company Outlier Society. I’ve been privileged to work with powerful woman & persons of colour throughout my career & it’s Outlier’s mission to continue to create for talented individuals going forward.”

He also directed followers to learn more about how to support the cause for greater inclusion.

The 31-year-old actor is one of the first major Hollywood stars to openly express his dedication to the inclusion rider, an idea that has been a hot topic in the media since Frances McDormand mentioned it in her best actress Oscar acceptance speech.

McDormand closed her speech with: “I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: inclusion rider.”

Stacy L Smith of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, a thinktank researching inclusion and diversity in the entertainment industry, initially proposed the concept in 2014.

The success of recent box-office hits Get Out and Black Panther have both been used by diversity campaigners within the industry to communicate issues around inclusion, and the benefits it can bring.

In light of the #OscarsSoWhite movement, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which bestows the Oscars, has made efforts to improve the diversity of its membership in recent years. It has pledged to increase the number of women and people of colour in its ranks twofold by 2020.

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Posted on: 08/03/2018 01:23 PM

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